ai4bharat/Pralekha huggingface dataset:
Ministry of Power
Smt. Parminder Chopra takes charge as Director , PFC
Government-owned Power Finance Corporation , India's leading NBFC, today announced the appointment of SmtParminder Chopra as Director  of the company. She succeeds Shri N.B. Gupta, who superannuated on June 30 2020.
Smt. Chopra was working as Executive Director  at Power Finance Corporation  before assuming charge as Director , PFC.With over 32 years of rich and varied experience, she specializes in handling crucial and core finance functions such as fund mobilisation, corporate accounts, banking & treasury, asset-liability management, stressed asset resolution etc.
Before joining PFC, she was associated with key organizations in the power sector like National Hydroelectric Power Corporation of India  and Power Grid Corporation of India .Smt. Chopra, who joined PFC in 2005, spearheaded the key initiative to diversify PFC's fund mobilisation to international markets that allowed the lender to raise money at lower costs. With her focussed approach, share of fund mobilisation in foreign currency grew from a meagre 2% to 15% within a short span of 2 years.
Smt. Chopra has also been lauded for many firsts including launch of PFC’s maiden Green Bond issue & PFC’s first fund raising from US bond market under sec 144. She also played a key role in PFC's mega acquisition of Government of India's holding of 52.63% in REC Ltd. and overcame challenges related to PFC’s capital adequacy levels and negotiations with various parties regarding PFC’s borrowing agreements & domestic & international credit rating.
Smt. Chopra also serves as Director on the Board of Coastal Tamil Nadu Power Limited and Cheyyur Infra Limited.
Smt. Chopra’s rise from her humble beginning as a Cost Accountant & MBA to the top rank of the Finance function at PFC demonstrates her passion, commitment and hard work.
Her deep understanding of PFC's operations, strengths and focus areas will surely help the power sector lender excel further and achieve more milestones in the coming days.
RCJ/M
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Ministry of Defence
President approves Tatrakshak medals to Indian Coast Guard personnel
EMBARGO: NOT TO BE PUBLISHED/BROADCAST/
OR USED ON SOCIAL MEDIA BEFORE 26 JANUARY 2022, 0001 HRS
The President of India has awarded President’s Tatrakshak Medal / Tatrakshak Medal  to the following Indian Coast Guard Personnel for their act of conspicuous gallantry, exceptional devotion to duty and distinguished/ meritorious service on the occasion of the Republic Day 2022:-
PRESIDNT’S TATRAKSHAK MEDAL 
- IG Maneesh Vishal Pathak, TM 
TATRAKSHAK MEDAL 
- Comdt  Sumit Dhiman 
- Dy Comdt Vikas Narang 
- Ardhi Pragati Kumar, P/Nvk , 05990-R
TATRAKSHAK MEDAL 
- Comdt Sundraraman Prem Kumar 
- A Manikandan, PSE, 07455-T
These awards are being given to the personnel of Indian Coast Guard on the occasion of Republic Day and Independence Day every year, since 26 Jan 1990.
ABB/Nampi/RP/Savvy
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Ministry of Earth Sciences
Rise in Global Temperature
In a report by the Intergovernmental Panel for Climate Change  indicated that the population of insects is expected to increase around the world due global warming/rise in temperature. Temperature regulates insects’ physiology and metabolism. An increase in temperature increases physiological activity and, therefore, metabolic rates. Insects must eat more to survive and it’s expected that insect herbivores will consume more and grow faster. This will lead to increases in the population growth rate of certain insects. Because they grow fast they’ll reproduce more. Their numbers will multiply and this will ultimately lead to more crop damage.
Ministry of Earth Sciences  doesn’t have any centralized data on the details of diseases expected to be spread as a result of increase in population of insects. However, India Meteorological Department  issues agro meteorological advisories through Gramin Krishi Mausam Sewa  scheme for the benefit of farming community in the country. Presently agromet advisories are being prepared on every Tuesday and Friday for all the agriculturally important districts  and around 3100 blocks by 130 Agromet Field Units  and 199 District Agromet Units . These advisories also include the information regarding pests and diseases which affect agriculture. Also Pest-Weather calendars are prepared for every crop which could be used as reference tools.
There has been a continuous global effort to control/arrest the global warming trends through various means. IMD under this ministry, issues forecast and warnings related to severe weather events including heat waves, in different spatial and temporal scales and share the same with public as well as disaster management authorities so as to initiate required mitigation measures.
As an initiative IMD is issuing Seasonal Outlook for temperatures for the months of April, May & June in the last week of March for planning purpose. This outlook brings out the expected scenario of heat waves also during the period. The seasonal outlook is followed by Extended Range Outlook issued on every Thursday for next two weeks. In addition to this, the forecast and the colour coded warnings for severe weather including heat wave warning are issued on daily basis for next five days with outlook for another two days.
As an adaptive measure, India Meteorological Department  in collaboration with local health departments have started heat action plan in many parts of the country since 2013 to forewarn people about the heat waves and also advising action to be taken during such occasions. Heat Action Plan, implemented in 23 States in collaboration with National Disaster Management Authority , is a comprehensive early warning system and preparedness plan for extreme heat events. The Plan presents immediate as well as longer-term actions to increase preparedness, information-sharing, and response coordination to reduce the health impacts of extreme heat on vulnerable populations.
This information was given by the Minister for State  for Ministry of Science and Technology and Earth Sciences, Dr. Jitendra Singh in a written reply in Lok Sabha today.
Ministry of Information & Broadcasting
Films Division presents Oasis of Hope, an online festival to mark World Environment Day
The World Environment Day is being observed on 5th June, 2021 with the theme of ecosystem restoration, which aims to prevent, halt and reverse the degradation of ecosystems on every continent and in every ocean. REIMAGINE. RECREATE. RESTORE are the key words for the celebrations this year. Contributing with the same spirit, Films Division is presenting Oasis of Hope, an online festival of films on environment on 5th and 6th June, 2021 to mark the important occasion.
The 2-day festival will consist of films that give strong message of reviving environment and reimagining the nature’s co-existence by suggesting various ways to restore the inseparable relationship of human being and nature. The streaming will be done on Films Division website and on You Tube channel.
The films in the special ‘green package’ are - The Jungle Man Loiya , a film that highlights the story of LoiyaNgamba, a nature lover from small hilly area in Manipur. For six years, Loiya stayed alone on the hill, building a dense forest, almost from scratch and created a green space for the local communities. It’s a story of reorienting man’s relationship with nature and building a culture of peaceful coexistence, Living the Natural Way , a story about Mishing tribes living on a small Brahmaputra island and how changing climate and environment has shattered and challenged their traditional way of living, Saalumarada Thimakka - The Green Crusader  which features a self taught environmentalist of Karnataka, having no formal education. Saalumarada Thimakka is considered as a role model for environmentalists all over the world having planted hundreds of roadside trees, Climate Change , film on the perils of global warming and climate change. My Son Neo , a film that poignantly portrays how a five year old boy grows up amidst natural environment, loving all living beings and setting an example for others and Plastic World , an animation films that portrays the vast and arid dystopian landscape of the future, covered in plastic waste and also alerts against the hazardous effects of plastic on human life and environment.
The festival is being screened on www.filmsdivision.org/“Documentary of the Week” and https://www.youtube.com/user/FilmsDivision throughout the day on 5th and 6th June, 2021.
AYUSH
MDNIY to become a Harvard-like University of Yoga in India: Shri Sarbananda Sonowal
Minister of Ayush Shri Sarbanand Sonowal Visits MDNIY
Ayush Minister Shri SarbabandaSonowal on Monday said that the Morarji Desai National Institute of Yoga  has the potential to become the world’s best educational institution in the field of Yoga at par with the US’s Harvard University. He was addressing the students and the faculty of MDNIY on his maiden visit to the institute after taking charge as the Minister of Ayush.
“MDNIY can become the number one institute for students all over the world. We need to make global efforts for this. If the US can set up an institute like Harvard, why can't we?” Shri Sonowal said, adding that it could open avenues for thousands of students worldwide to visit India for education and research in Yoga.
The Minister emphasised the need for a global approach to fulfill the dream of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi. “People are standing at India's doorstep in search of beautiful and healthy bodies. At present, MDNIY has all the work, including yoga education, training, medicine and research. There should be hostel arrangements for the students at the university who come from different parts of the country. Excellent hostel facilities at MDNIY will add value to the institution,” Shri Sonowal said.
Ayush Minister visited all the classes of the institute and interacted with students. Talking to students, the Ayush Minister said that he practices Yoga every morning for about 30 minutes. Shri Sonowal also visited the library, the meditation centre and the campus of MDNIY. He also saw the performances of the students.
MDNIY has so far given yoga training to 18,000 paramilitary soldiers in the last few years, said MDNIY Director Dr Ishwar V. Basavaradi. He added that an attempt has been made to introduce Yoga to the inmates and prisoners of Tihar Jail. “Yoga system gives new dimensions to our life. It should be included in your daily routine,” he said.
Ministry of Agriculture &
Farmers Welfare
Scheme for Promoting Indigenous Rice
Indigenous varieties of rice are being promoted through varietal improvement programmes of ICAR. During the past few years, 574 indigenous varieties of rice have been propagated and tested at more than 10,000 farmers’ fields, involving state agricultural universities, Krishi Vigyan Kendras  and Non-Government Organisations through a project titled “Mainstreaming Agricultural biodiversity conservation and utilization of the agriculture sector to ensure ecosystem services and reduce vulnerability”. Farmers are trained on conservation, improvement and use of traditional/ indigenous varieties through participatory approach. Further, for access to seeds of these indigenous varieties, community seed banks have been established at community level involving KVKs and Self Help Groups in remote and tribal areas of the country. A total of 26 community seed banks conserving >4000 native landraces and farmers’ varieties of different food crops including rice have been strengthened and established.
Communities and farmers conserving and promoting indigenous rice varieties have been conferred with Genome Savour awards by Protection of Plant Varieties and Farmers’ Rights Authority  and following awards have been given since 2009-10:
- Plant Genome Saviour Community Award : 13
- Plant Genome Saviour Farmer Rewards : 12
- Plant Genome Saviour Farmer Recognitions : 19
Five rice varieties viz., Lalat and Improved Lalat  as low GI and Swarna, Sambha Mahsuri and Shaktiman  as intermediate GI have been identified. All these varieties are in the seed chain and are under cultivation by the farmers.
The details of indigenous rice varieties/ germplasm are available with ICAR-NBPGR, New Delhi. A total of 45,107 indigenous varieties/ land races of rice are conserved in the National Gene Bank at ICAR-NBPGR, New Delhi. In addition, 1645 farmer’s varieties are registered with PPV&FRA.
This information was given in a written reply by the Union Minister of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Shri Narendra Singh Tomar in Lok Sabha today.
Prime Minister's Office
PM greets people on Ashadhi Bij, the Kutchi New Year
The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi has greeted the people on the special occasion of Ashadhi Bij, the Kutchi New Year.
“On the special occasion of Ashadhi Bij, greetings to the Kutchi community. This is a community known for its great culture and bravery. I pray that the coming year is filled with happiness and good health”, the Prime Minister said.
Ministry of Social Justice & Empowerment
Shri Thaawarchand Gehlot presents Dr. B.R. Ambedkar International Foundation’s annual awards to eminent persons
Shri Thaawarchand Gehlot, Union Minister for Social Justice and Empowerment presented the annual awards of Dr. B.R. Ambedkar International Foundation to eminent personalities who have excelled in the fields of Social and Economic empowerment, Art and Culture, Sports & Games, Health & Education, Poverty Alleviation etc. at a function here today. Shri Gehlot congratulated all award winners for their exemplary works and praised the efforts of Dr. B.R. Ambedkar International Foundation in doing humanitarian work among the economically weaker section of society.
Dr. B.R. Ambedkar International Foundation strives to accomplish its objectives by designing and implementing several innovative and bold solutions that will bring in long-term sustainable changes in the living condition of the poor and needy. It has been recognizing eminent personalities at its award function annually.
Ministry of Communications
DoT detects around 1.52 lakh suspected fake mobile connections in Meghalaya and five other NE States
The Department of Telecom  has detected around 1.52 lakh suspected connections subscribed based on fake/forged documents involving many Points of Sale  of different Telecom Service Providers  in six states of North East LSA - Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland & Tripura.
More than 1.47 lakh mobile connections that failed in re-verification process have been disconnected by TSPs in the region. So far, TSPs have blacklisted 493 PoS and registered 71 police complaints against the suspected Points of Sale for further investigation and necessary actions against the culprits.
Cybercrimes, financial frauds and antisocial activities are mainly committed through SIMs fraudulently subscribed on forged documents. In order to detect and weeding out such suspected SIMs, DoT has taken up the initiative of conceptualizing and implementing an innovative and indigenous Artificial Intelligence and Facial Recognition Powered Solution for Telecom SIM Subscriber Verification  – the NextGen platform aimed for preventing the cybercrimes. The system uses subscriber images and database of Telecom Subscriber Providers  to detect fraudulent subscriptions.
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President's Secretariat
Probationers of Indian Corporate Law Service call on the President
The probationers of Indian Corporate Law Service  called on the President of India, Smt Droupadi Murmu at Rashtrapati Bhavan today .
(Addressing the Indian Corporate Law Service officers, the President said that they act as regulators of the corporate world. She added that they are also facilitators for the growth and development of business and industry in India. She highlighted that their job is extremely important as they have to ensure good corporate governance while encouraging and promoting the development of industry and entrepreneurship. She said that their actions would have a significant impact on the industrial and governance ecosystem of the country.
The President said that good corporate governance is of great relevance and significance today and it would be duty of Corporate Law Service officers to ensure that companies are managed in the best interests of shareholders and other stakeholders. She added that through efficient governance models, they must ensure that the corporate entities follow an ethical culture and respect the rights of stakeholders. She further said that effective corporate governance is also necessary for long-term sustainable growth and inclusive development of the country.
The President said that young and bright civil servants must work with a sense of responsibility towards the citizens of the country. She added that they must also imbibe a spirit of service towards the nation and its people. She urged them to remember that their commitment to the well-being of the fellow citizens should be unwavering. She said that they should uphold the principles of transparency, fairness, and accountability.
Please click here to see the President's Speech
Prime Minister's Office
PM congratulates Sharath Kamal for winning Gold Medal in Men's Singles Table Tennis
The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi has congratulated Sharath Kamal for winning Gold Medal in Men's Singles Table Tennis at Birmingham CWG 2022.
The Prime Minister tweeted;
"Gold medal by @sharathkamal1 will be recorded in history as a very special one. He has shown the power of patience, determination and resilience. He also demonstrated great skills. This medal is a big boost for Indian Table Tennis. Congrats and best wishes to him. #Cheer4India."
Vice President's Secretariat
Vice President calls upon young minds to think out of the box; says 'Innovative thinking is in our DNA'
Students are warriors who will shape the destiny of India in 2047- Vice President
Shri Dhankhar called for a mechanism for structured engagement with alumni in all institutions
Says institutions grow on the shoulders of their alumni
Vice President inaugurates ‘Centre for Innovation’ facility at IIT Madras
The Vice President, Shri Jagdeep Dhankhar today called upon the student community to think out-of-the-box and come up with innovative solutions to the country’s developmental challenges. ‘Innovative thinking is in our DNA. We only have to activate it’, he said. He called students as ‘warriors who will shape the destiny of India in 2047’.
Referring to the various indicators such as the Global Innovation Index, Shri Dhankhar pointed out that ‘we have jumped by 40 positions and this is reflected in research and filling of patents’. He also added that ‘India has the third largest startup ecosystem with over 80,000 startups and third highest unicorns in the world’.
The Vice President was addressing the student community after inaugurating the ‘Centre for Innovation’ facility at IIT Madras in Chennai today. Praising IIT Madras as an ‘institute of excellence and one of the top innovative institutions in the country’, Shri Dhankhar also lauded its rich biodiversity on its campus.
Noting that India's rise is unstoppable despite the global headwinds, the Vice President said that Bharat is a land of opportunity and a global destination for investment. Expressing confidence that India will be the third largest economy in the world by the turn of the decade, he underlined, ‘when India speaks now, the world listens’.
Acknowledging that institutions 'grow on the shoulders of their alumni', Shri Dhankhar called for a mechanism for the structured evolution of alumni in all institutions. Such an alumni confederation would create an unprecedented 'think tank' with the potential to change the world for the better, he added.
Emphasizing the role of citizens in ensuring the accountability of their Parliamentary representatives, the Vice President urged the youth to raise their voices in support of responsible actions and authentic information exchange in the House. He appealed to them to 'help generate an ecosystem so that the sanctity of temples of democracy is not outraged'.
During the event, the Vice President also interacted with students and took a tour of the various projects at the Centre for Innovation facility. He said that ideas generated by such bright minds hold the potential to change the nation.
Tamil Nadu Higher Education Minister, Thiru K Ponmudi, Prof. V Kamakoti, Director, IIT Madras, Shri. V. Shankar, Benefactor, The New Centre for Innovation Facility, faculty members, students and other dignitaries were present.
Following are the excerpts from the Vice President’s speech –
https://www.pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=1903036
Ministry of Law and Justice
Digital Infrastructural Capacity
It has been the endeavour of the Department of Legal Affairs to strengthen its digital infrastructure capacity both in terms of the hardware and the use of e-tools. In this regard, every officer/official is provided with complete set of computer systems. Further, to promote ease of filing of notary application and related processes, an exclusive web portal namely Notary Online Application Portal  has been envisaged which will make the procedure of inviting application for appointment of notariesand issuance of certificate of practice in online mode.Further, Legal Information Management and Briefing System , a web based application has been created for uploading of information by the respective Ministries/Departments and monitoring of court cases where Union of India is one of the parties. The LIMBS Version 2.0,an upgraded version of LIMBS has been made operational in association with NIC.
On the basis of feedback received to streamline notary appointment process,the Notary Online Application Portal incorporateskey features of uploading of annual returns, specimen signature and payments of statutory fees through e-Bharat Kosh payment gateway on web page etc.
This information was given by the Union Minister of Law and Justice, Shri Kiren Rijiju in a written reply in Lok Sabha today.
Prime Minister's Office
PM announces PM-SHRI Yojana
Development and Upgradation of 14,500 schools cross India under the Pradhan Mantri Schools For Rising India  Yojana
On the occasion of Teacher's Day today, the Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi has announced development and upgradation of 14,500 schools cross India under the Pradhan Mantri Schools For Rising India  Yojana.
The PM-SHRI schools will have a modern, transformational and holistic method of imparting education. Shri Modi said that he is certain that the PM-SHRI schools will further benefit lakhs of students across India in the spirit of NEP.
The Prime Minister tweeted;
"Today, on #TeachersDay I am glad to announce a new initiative - the development and upgradation of 14,500 schools across India under the Pradhan Mantri Schools For Rising India  Yojana. These will become model schools which will encapsulate the full spirit of NEP."
"The PM-SHRI schools will have a modern, transformational and holistic method of imparting education. Emphasis will be on a discovery oriented, learning centric way of teaching. Focus will also be on modern infra including latest technology, smart classrooms, sports and more."
"The National Education Policy has transformed the education sector in the recent years. I am certain that the PM-SHRI schools will further benefit lakhs of students across India in the spirit of NEP."
Today, on #TeachersDay I am glad to announce a new initiative - the development and upgradation of 14,500 schools across India under the Pradhan Mantri Schools For Rising India  Yojana. These will become model schools which will encapsulate the full spirit of NEP.
— Narendra Modi  September 5, 2022